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Why does a baby's skin require a special sunscreen?
Many parents ask themselves the question: what exactly is the reason for not applying the same sunscreen to the whole family?
The answer from dermatologists and pediatricians is clear: the skin of toddlers has very different characteristics from that of adults, and requires special sun protection. This is all the more important as there's no question of prematurely wasting the sun capital your child was born with.
Here's everything you need to know about being a responsible parent in the sun, whatever the circumstances.
At birth, babies' skin is still very sensitive and does not have the same natural defense systems as adult skin, with a low antioxidant reserve for example.
It will gradually mature over the first few years of life.
Why is baby skin so delicate?
The cutaneous barrier is much thinner, as sebum and squalene production are not fully operational.
This is why it is so fragile in the face of aggressions such as UV rays.
Given this lack of internal resources, the skin cannot defend itself on its own: it must therefore be protected and reinforced.
We've all heard about sun capital, mostly to say that it's depleted and that our skin can't tolerate UV the way it used to. Sun capital is the reserve of UV exposure we all have at birth.
This capital cannot be increased or renewed, and must be managed throughout our lives. In concrete terms, it diminishes progressively with each exposure to the sun, and even more rapidly with each sunburn. Even without sunburn, UV rays attack the skin, and their effect accumulates over time. When the skin has stored up its maximum UV quota, the sun's capital is exhausted, and the risk of developing skin cancer rises. It should be noted that our sun capital diminishes much more rapidly during childhood, precisely because the skin does not yet have the necessary resources to protect itself effectively against UV rays.
Intense sun exposure and repeated sunburns during this highly vulnerable period therefore increase the risk of skin cancer in adulthood.
1. Until what age should I apply specific protection?
The skin continues to develop until at least 2 years of age, and will be comparable to adult skin around puberty, when sebum production really kicks in. So choose a sunscreen adapted to your child's age, and don't forget that UV protection is essential at every stage of life.
2. What are the best ways to protect my child from the sun?
First of all, never voluntarily expose a toddler to UV rays, and keep him or her in the shade or, better still, indoors. But there are everyday situations where children's exposure to the sun cannot be avoided. In such cases, it's essential to protect them with appropriate accessories - hats, sunglasses, anti-UV clothing - as well as a suncare product specially formulated for their skin.
3. What's the difference between a conventional sunscreen and a children's sunscreen?
A sun cream specifically developed for children's skin takes into account its specific characteristics, in particular its still-fragile cutaneous barrier. Laboratoire BIODERMA uses rigorously selected ingredients to reconcile effectiveness and absolute safety. The Photoderm PEDIATRICS range includes specially adapted suncare products: Photoderm KIDS Mineral SPF50+ from birth.
These suncare products, formulated with the help of pediatricians and dermatologists, offer very high broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection, while reinforcing and protecting the skin barrier of toddlers.